Fall Shows I’m Excited About, or, 11 Reasons I Can’t Wait To Be Back In Austin

It’s hard to believe that it’s already the end of June, and even harder to believe it’s been a month and a half since I’ve been to a show. Being stuck in Houston, more specifically Sugar Land, for the summer has been a total live music nightmare. I had just started at both of my jobs when Free Press Summer Fest was happening, and I worked the night that The Thermals came to town. To add to my frustrations, the summer calendars at many of Houston’s “best” venues leave a lot to be desired. Most of them feature bands that don’t pique my interest (here’s looking at you, Foster The People) or groups that are better suited for Warped Tour. With the exception of a free Royal Bangs show in a few weeks, and of course I’ll probably be working that night, the well looks completely dry for the duration of my time here.

This makes my anticipation to return to Austin for good even more feverish, as there are plenty of great bands coming early in the school year to make up for a lackluster summer. I’ll be getting an early start, as I’m making a special trip to Austin in early August to see none other than Arctic Monkeys, a band I’ve wanted to see live since they released their first single. Here is an early list of the shows that should help make my summertime blues a distant memory:

Arctic Monkeys: Aug 2 at Stubb’s

Handsome Furs: Aug. 26 at Mohawk

Japandroids: Sept. 8 at Mohawk

Austin City Limits After Shows: TBD

Cymbals Eat Guitars: Oct. 1 at Emo’s

Gang Gang Dance: Oct. 3 at Mohawk

Braids: Oct. 4 at Mohawk

Toro y Moi: Oct. 8 at Mohawk

Friendly Fires: Oct. 11 at Antone’s

Battles: Oct. 21 at Emo’s

Fun Fun Fun Fest: Nov. 4, 5, &6 at Auditorium Shores

Here’s hoping that more shows will be continually added to this list, and that I will have the chance to see/review them all!